Are Elements Named After People?

Many different elements are named after people. Some are named after the scientist who discovered the element, while others are named in honor of a famous or noteworthy person.

According to About.com, bohrium is named after the famous physicist and chemist, Niels Bohr. The scientists who discovered x-rays, Pierre and Marie Curie, were honored when the element curium was discovered. One of the most famous scientists throughout history, Albert Einstein, was the inspiration for the name einsteinium. Fermium was named after the scientist Enrico Fermi. Inventor of dynamite, Alfred Nobel, was honored when the element nobelium was discovered. Ernest Rutherford was the inspiration behind the naming of rutherfordium.